Something very new, and frankly refreshing, breaks onto the Salt Lake City Theatre
scene this weekend. Same Mistakes, a new play written by Joel Thompson and Ethan
Rauschkolb, opens this weekend as a part of the Studio 115 Series, co-sponsored by Open Door
Productions. The play is the product of the University of Utah’s developmental playwriting
program under mentor Dr. Tim Slover. This new work features vibrant insight from an
unexpectedly interwoven scenario of human loss. The timeline jumps from present to past with
adept fluidity allowing the audience to discover secrets and insights that would remain hidden or
fragmented had not Matt, the main character, gone searching for answers, “moving forward in a
world that doesn’t always offer narrative satisfaction.” Thompson and Duersche say, “Grief is
an unfortunate companion to a life filled with cares, hopes, dreams, and loved ones. Regardless
of how or when it rears its ugly head, loss catches up to us all. Same Mistakes seeks to explore
what we do, where we go, and who we turn to when faced with griefs’ entourage.”
The play begins as Matt Thornton, played by AJ Klomp, avoids connection with his
mother, as his father is seriously ill. Matt’s wife, Alice Thornton played with wit and humor by
Alexia Stonehocker, is skilled at the kind of banter that reaches to the heart of the issues. She
calls for her husband to face the impending grief and questions raised by his rapidly diminishing
father, Rob Thornton played by Charlie Miller. Matt’s mother, Shelia Thornton touchingly
played by Emily Tatum, is hauntingly isolated and withdrawn, as she sorts old photos, allowing
us to see the depth of love in the past, and the utter inability to accept the loss. Her emotional
release in a final scene monologue to her dying husband is so satisfying because we can only
guess before what she was thinking. This is an example of rich and continuous development of
the subtextual line. The actors universally understand and feel the depth of their secrets, as well
as lingering questions. We feel it because they do. Klomp’s performance at the end of the play
exposes all that has lain beneath the surface heretofore. This points to both good writing and
good direction by Joel Thompson and Hanna Duersch. This pair of directors working as well
with writer Rauschkolb create what Thompson described as a flexible rhythm where details of
past events and subsequent discoveries build toward climactic resolve, only to ridden with
interruption and shrouded in mystery. Thomson described his intention was to craft the play like
a stretched rubber band that portrays life as taut between intensity and release, hope & despair.
Certainly, the well-crafted technique exposes us to what it means to be human, caught in this
dilemma.
The conventions of the theatre in flash-back, create a compelling structure. The story of
Matt Thornton’s discovery of secret box, including a hidden love letter, drives Matt to seek out
the letter’s addressee, Mary Lynn Stephens. Thus, the play’s flashbacks into her stories of his
father and his own remembrances become a structure that illuminates piece by piece the secrets
of the heart. Thomson and Rauchkolb use this to raise questions for all the characters that
follow each one’s encounter with profound loss. The unfulfilled love story of Rob & Mary-Lynn
is tenderly and profoundly portrayed. Particularly insightful is Maggie Goble’s portrayal of
Mary Lynn. Her depictions of their past relationship is done with inspiring depth and is fresh
and honest. She is well cast as an irresistible beauty. Mary-Lynn has secrets of her own, but can
almost immediately disarm the emotionally distant Rob. The writers withhold our introduction to
father Robert Thornton (Miller) until he is introduced in Mary-Lynn’s memory. Miller plays the
earlier scenes of emotional distance so convincingly, the audience may believe he is just being a
jerk. Later as that veneer peels away, his dept of consideration takes a brilliant shift. The spill of
his emotions, questions about his worthiness as a father, now being told to Matt by Mary Lynn,
strike deep chord in Matt as he fears to make the same mistakes. It is not just Matt who faces the
past repeating mistakes. They all face it in their own unique way. The structure of the
flashbacks allow the audience to experience what it is like to discover greater meaning of events
as they are remembered. We, the audience, gather bit by bit over time. How very like life. In
the action, we see the playing out of choices over generations, hence offering boundless insights
on how best to cope and continue to grow. Thus, through stylistic conventions and the witty
language, full of hidden subtext, Same Mistakes puts us squarely in the place of discovery as
well, where we can deeply consider these issues. To support the reveal of key moments in the
piece, is Mitchell Harding, as he plays the doctor and other characters, filling out with
refreshing cheer the Ensemble roles.
Something should be said about the quality of the University of Utah’s playwriting
program. The two writers of Same Mistakes took advantage of the BFA playwriting courses that
develop writers at the University of Utah under mentor Dr. Tim Slover. In New Plays
Workshop, student (and other) writers collaborate with student directors, dramaturgs, actors, and
stage managers to transform their scripts into performance texts. The collaboration ends with
public staged readings of the plays. The new Studio Series is a full production. These writers
separately took the department’s playwriting courses; in the summer of 2024, while in London
with Dr. Slover on the learning abroad program, they collaborated on early drafts of Same
Mistakes; and then last Spring Semester they workshopped it in New Plays Workshop. Now they
are among the first (possibly the first) participants in the new Studio Series.
The play is directed by Joel Thompson and Hannah Duersch, Duersch doubles as
Stage Manager. Costume Design is by Lexie Kewish, and Lighting Design by Sara Clark.
There are an army of floor crew that facilitate scene shifts efficiently. Properties and Costumes
are in part provided by the University of Utah.
The performances are one weekend only from September 11-14 th at the University of
Utah’s Performing Arts Building (PAB) new Studio 115. Tickets are affordable, with pay what
you can options. Tickets at utheatre.booktix.com. The play contains mild profanity and implied
themes of abuse. It is about 120 minutes with a 15 minute intermission. Thompson sells ice
cream in honor of the London theatres who sell gelato in the breaks.
Photos:
Cast
Matthew Thornton is played byAJ Klomp
Alice Thornton by Alexia Stonehocker
Shelia Thornton by Emily Tatum
Mary-Lynn stephens by Maggie Goble
Rob Thronton by Charlie Miller
Ensemble/Understudy is Mitchell Harding
Director Joel Thompson, Director/Stage Manager Hannah Duersch
Costume Design by Lexie Kewish
Lighting Design by Sara Clark
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